The mid-season finale of the Fox hit Sleepy Hollow aired last Monday, and fans were left with lots of questions looking forward to the final seven episodes of the season. SleepyCast: The Official Sleepy Hollow Podcast on the Nerdist Podcast Network had asked for listener questions for showrunner and Sleepy writer Mark Goffman, and the Sleepyheads did not disappoint. They asked, and he answered, with Goffman expanding on the events of the fall finale (yes, Irving is really dead), talked a bit more about the controversial Katrina Crane, and hinted at things to come in the season two finale as well as what fans could expect if and when Sleepy Hollow returns for season three.
Regarding Orlando Jones’ character Frank Irving’s death, a question that posed a lot of questions for fans, Goffman definitively stated, “We’ve always said that the really fun part of Sleepy Hollow is that dead doesn’t necessarily mean ‘gone.’ He definitely died. There’s no question that he died. The question is, is he able to come back and if so what form will he take? We know that his soul is owned by Henry… Irving is an incredibly beloved character and incredibly important to the team… I hope we get to see him again in a way that helps and doesn’t hurt us.” Ah ha! Because if Irving’s soul is owned by Henry, who is to say that Irving will still fight for the good guys? While speaking on the topic of magic and its cost to those who use it in Sleepy Hollow, Goffman hinted, “It’s a lot easier being evil.â€
As for the remainder of season two, Goffman was able to echo a sentiment he put forth last week on the SleepyCast, that the mid-season finale was a turning point for the series. This week, he elaborated, telling me, “One of the things that I liked about Moloch’s death is that it kind of liberates the show from the Book of Revelation and that version of the apocalypse, and every culture has a version of the apocalypse. We have a bunch of episodes that start to get into other visions and ways in which the end of days can come. I think it’s a really intriguing and great direction of the show to expand our world just beyond the traditional Judeo-Christian view or, at least, the view in the Book of Revelation.”
Speaking of magic, we also discussed Katrina Crane, one of the most divisive characters in the Sleepy universe. Would we see more of her using her powers? Is she the only witch left in town? Mark was mostly tight-lipped, but did tell us that Katrina is definitely looking for opportunities to make some powerful friends, saying that her thought process is, “‘Wow, wouldn’t be cool if there was a coven,’ and all I can say is, stick around. I think she and we will explore that…â€
Goffman also elaborated on if we’d be seeing more from Grace Dixon, a pivotal figure in the Sleepy mythology and a true fan favorite, myself included. Will we be seeing more from her this season and beyond? He couldn’t say much, but he did tease a bit, saying, “She’s a fantastic character. Really, right in the middle of the war. She was at Fredricks Manor, which was sort of the hub of good for the Revolution… I’m actually really excited about a couple of ways in which we’re going to get to see Grace again this season.â€
Goffman also reveled some future plans for Abbie Mills. While the front half of season two focused a lot on Ichabod Crane and his relationship to his wife, who is also the mother of this season’s “Big Bad” Henry, apparently the future of the series has a lot to do not only with Abbie and her sister Jenny, but their elaborate family tree. “I think Abbie’s family history is going to weight very heavily on the series,” he said. “I think as we’ve only started to dip into the waters of how rich and interesting it is for her role as a witness, and so we have a lot planned, a bit more in season three than now, but we’ll definitely see more of that history in the back half and then I think some bigger surprises coming up in future seasons.†Goffman continued, “This season finale is a big Abbie story… I mean, obviously it’s both Abbie and Crane but it’s an interesting one in that a lot of it is from Abbie’s perspective, and that’s been exciting to dive into and to see. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I really do.â€
For more from Mark Goffman about future creatures, the return of The Kindred, the Founding Mothers and more, listen to our conversation on SleepyCast right now!
Sleepy Hollow returns on Monday, January 5, 2015 on FOX.
At this point their constant need to force feed me Katrina has made me really dislike her and want her gone. Which is sad cause had they just let her bubble along organically, had her fill her space as a character out over the episodes, I think I would’ve loved her. Same goes for Henry but I’m not as fed up with him… yet.
But the minute producers talk more about her than they do about Abbie and Jenny is the moment I start to get my hackles up. The minute you sideline Abbie to push Crane family drama is when I get bored.
I used to love this show and now it’s a struggle to finish one episode cause I zone out.
Goffman seems to be under some false impression that his show is the only show on TV. That I have the time or desire to hold on to this train wreck when there is quality programming on that I could be spending my time on. From creators that value the fans.
What a horrible interview, but what else could I expect from the guy who ruined the show. Nothing he’s saying is good television and the fact that after so much backlash he feels compelled to give us one or two Abbie-centric episodes and some vague promises tells me a lot about him. It’s nauseating.
Why does it feel as if he wasn’t going to go that deep into Abbie’s history until he started get called out on it, planned for season 3. I do not understand why he is so tight lip on the leading lady but pressess Katrina for so hard. Everything with Abbie is wait and see, trust us, there are twisted coming up, next season; and with Katrina there is coming up we see more of her doing this or that, there is an upcoming episode which focusing on her more, etc. I understand that he feels as he must defend his work but come on if so many people are saying the same thing maybe you need to listen more and defend less.
Henry should no longer own Irving’s soul you know that very meaningful sacrifice he made killing the avatar should have released him from that contract. Unless Irving death was for nought.
I am like so many others are so over Katrina I could care less what they have planned for her. Too little too late and the consent need for Goffman to justify her character’s strong presence is irritating. I do understand that she has her fans but she nor the Crane family drama are appealing to the masses and needs to be reworked further into the background as opposed to the main story arc. As for her seeking out a coven if Jenny isn’t one of and the leader not interested at all.
I just feel that the writers got caught by surprise that fans in general do not like how the season is going and not just the “hater” and they can’t just shake it off as those Ichabbie shippers. I have no idea why they thought focusing on Crane and family over Witness was a good idea, or why they thought sidelining Jenny and Irving was smart or why they are surprise that fans are reacting to Irving death as they are and are now scrambling to correct things.
How did Sleepy Hollow change so much from S1, where is that diversity that was so admired and praised. Why was the Horsemen defanged in the name of a stupid love triangle and parental woes. But my bigger question is why is Goffman acting as if everything is good.
wow you guys are all so harsh… I only wonder why it is that you watch this in the first place… So what if he Cherry Picked the questions? Ask better questions then!!! I care about Katrina, because I want to see if she’s still bs’ing Ichabod at all, or, if she’s done – and what she’s going to do now that Henry has killed Malloch (sp?) and he’s found that he is not immortal, but the Horseman of War is. Also wondering what it is that she did in purgatory before Ichabod was raised…
I cannot wait to see the history of Abbys family, and their involvement with the generations of witnesses before Ichabod and Abby, and the Masons and Hellfire Club, and so on. The more they go on, the more the show opens up to new possibilities.
Because season one was AWESOME. Many of us are in love with Nicole, Tom, Lyndie and Orlando from the first season. We waited 9-10 months to get more but to our surprise we got much much less.
Thank you for the Backslash (NOT) lesson! I was making the same mistake! No More!
This sounds awful. Not only were the questions clearly cherry-picked but Goffman’s (Goofman’s?) replies make clear is taking everything that made the show great and flushing it down the toilet. Abbie has been sidelined and replaced by Katrina. Frank is gone, Hawley took Jennie’s place- white-washin complete. So I guess a few zombies and blood drops is all that came of everything laid out in Season One, huh? What a giant middle finger to what fans fell in love with. No wonder the ratings are in the toilet.
What a mess. Way to ruin the show.
Most of the fandom hates Katrina. Those who like her are scared that the Ichabbie ship will come true so they are grasping at straws. This season has been a snooze fest compared to season one.
Did anyone ask about the Headed Horseman, the creature Abbie and Crane raised? He just rode off into the night.
He only mentioned that the Kindred would show up again. Honestly, I think they forgot about him and Luke who is still knocked out on the floor at the cabin.
wow….these questions are awful. It’s not hard to figure out that these questions were chosen by goofman. Ask about him how in the hell did he lose 6 million viewers? No one cares about katrina and you know it.
I care about Katrina.
You in a VERY small group tbh. Most people were over Katrina S1. She brings nothing to the show. She’s an awful nurse, an awful spy, she’s an awful witch, and an awful wife. Why is she still wearing that dingy corset? Can’t she at least go to the thrift store and get some news clothes? I’m so sick of Crane family drama. What kind of evil is more worried about a mediocre witch than ending the world? Hermoine Graner could do more magic befoe she even got in to Hogwarts than Katrina and do as an adult.
Actually there ARE people who do care about Katrina
The only people who care about Katrina are Katia and her family members
YAY Kindred! Truly my favorite character this Season. I mean come on, he took on two Horsemen at once and totally saved Abbie rather than finish off Death. I can’t wait to see him again – hopefully still as a good guy!
Also the idea of taking this outside of the Revelations Apocalypse and exploring different ideas is a very awesome idea. And come to think of it, it makes a lot of sense due to some of the non-Judeo Christian things introduced this half season – i.e.: Gorgon, and some of the other mythical items Hawley mentioned (Basilisk).